Yes, it is legal to kill a fox in Tennessee during the state’s hunting and trapping season, which runs November 21, 2025 through February 28, 2026 for both red and gray foxes. Outside that window, you can still lawfully kill a fox that is actively destroying your property. Both paths carry licensing rules, method restrictions, and county-level exceptions that decide whether a legal shot becomes a misdemeanor.
When Fox Season Is Open
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency sets fox season annually. For 2025–2026, hunting and trapping both run from November 21, 2025 through February 28, 2026, and there is no daily bag limit.1Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Small Game Hunting and Trapping TWRA can adjust dates from year to year, so it’s worth checking the current proclamation before you go out.
Foxes have no night hunting season. Raccoons, opossums, and coyotes do, but fox hunting is daytime only during the open season.1Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Small Game Hunting and Trapping
Chasing With Dogs Is Not the Same as Killing
Tennessee allows foxes to be chased with hounds year-round under TCA 70-4-103, except during any protection period set by the Fish and Wildlife Commission. Chasing and killing are separate acts. You can run hounds after a fox in July, but you cannot carry a firearm, bow, or any other device capable of killing game while doing so outside the regular open season. A handgun carried for personal protection is the only exception, and it cannot be used to take game.2Justia. Tennessee Code 70-4-103 – Fox Hunting
Killing a fox by any method other than what TCA 70-4-103 permits is a Class C misdemeanor.2Justia. Tennessee Code 70-4-103 – Fox Hunting This is where people who assume year-round dog chasing means year-round shooting get charged.
If a Fox Is Damaging Your Property
You don’t have to wait for open season if a fox is killing your chickens or damaging your property. TCA 70-4-115 lets landowners destroy wildlife that is actively causing damage on their land.3Justia. Tennessee Code 70-4-115 – Destruction and Disposal of Wildlife – Permit – Penalty Big game like deer requires a TWRA permit first. Foxes don’t, because they aren’t big game.
The exemption only applies while the fox is actually causing damage. It is not cover for out-of-season recreational hunting. Misusing this provision is itself a Class C misdemeanor.3Justia. Tennessee Code 70-4-115 – Destruction and Disposal of Wildlife – Permit – Penalty If a wildlife officer asks, be ready to explain the specific damage.
License You Need
Hunting or trapping foxes requires a TWRA license. Residents ages 16 through 64 need a Combination Hunt/Fish Annual license at $33. Nonresidents pay $110 for an Annual Hunt (Small Game) license. To trap, residents add a Supplemental Trapping license for $33; nonresidents pay $200 for an Annual Trapping license.4Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. License Structure and Fees
Farmland owners, their spouses, and their children can hunt on their own land during the open season without a license, provided they follow all other wildlife rules.5Justia. Tennessee Code 70-2-204 – Hunting and Fishing on Farmland – License Exemption to Owners, Tenants, and Specified Spouses and Relatives – Proof of Compliance Grandchildren and great-grandchildren under 16 also qualify with the landowner’s permission. The exemption is for farmland, not any residential lot.
Legal Trapping Methods
For ground sets targeting foxes, the approved trap types are cushion-hold traps, laminated jaw traps, offset wide jaw traps, and double-jaw traps, with a maximum exterior jaw measurement of seven inches. Water sets use the same types but allow up to nine inches.6Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. General Hunting and Trapping Regulations Traditional toothed steel-jaw traps are not approved.
Steel cable snares are legal during the trapping season within a narrow cable diameter range. Spring-activated snares other than Collarum-type snares are prohibited. Live cage traps are legal for any species with a trapping season.6Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. General Hunting and Trapping Regulations
Non-lethal traps must be checked at least once every 36 hours, with any caught wildlife removed. Lethal sets, including instant-kill traps and drowning-type water sets, have a 72-hour window.6Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. General Hunting and Trapping Regulations Each animal left past the deadline can be charged as a separate offense.
County Rules That Override the Statewide Season
Fox regulations are not uniform across Tennessee. For the 2025–2026 season, Benton County makes it unlawful to take or kill red foxes at all. Dyer, Lauderdale, Smith, and Wilson counties are open year-round for hunting and trapping both red and gray foxes.1Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Small Game Hunting and Trapping Check which county you’re in before you shoot, especially near a county line.
Penalties
Killing a fox outside the methods TCA 70-4-103 permits is a Class C misdemeanor.2Justia. Tennessee Code 70-4-103 – Fox Hunting A Class C misdemeanor in Tennessee carries up to 30 days in jail and a fine of up to $50.7Justia. Tennessee Code 40-35-111 – Authorized Terms of Imprisonment and Fines for Misdemeanors
Broader violations fall under TCA 70-4-102, which prohibits hunting, killing, trapping, or possessing wildlife outside the restrictions set by state law. Each illegally taken animal counts as a separate offense, and a violation is a Class B misdemeanor.8Justia. Tennessee Code 70-4-102 – Illegal Taking, Possession or Destruction of Wildlife Hunting without a license, hunting out of season, and using prohibited trap types all fit here.
TWRA can also revoke hunting and trapping privileges. Firearms, traps, and vehicles used in illegal hunting may be seized. Repeat offenders and poaching cases sometimes draw multi-year license revocations that shut you out of all regulated hunting in the state.